After applying

Once you have submitted your application you can see that Nordic Culture Point has received it by checking that the status of the application has changed into “Application received” on your user account. You can also find your application’s ID number on your user account. If you contact us about your application you should always refer to the ID number.

The Nordic Culture Point administers the applications and is responsible for all contact with the applicants, but external expert groups decide which applications should be approved and for how much.

• Notification of decision

  A notification of decision will be added in the correspondence in your profile 8 – 10 weeks after the last application date. Please see each individual programme page for a more exact date. A copy will also be sent to the user account’s e-mail. All applicants will be notified at the same time, no advance notifications will be provided.

• Payment

  If you are granted funding, you should login to your user account and approve a contract between Nordic Culture Point and yourself and thereafter provide the project’s bank details. The funding is then paid as two to three part payments depending on the size of the grant.

  Grants below EUR 30,000: The amount is paid in two parts, 85% after the contract has been accepted and the remaining 15% after the final reporting.

  Grants above EUR 30,000: The amount is paid in three parts, 45% after the contract has been accepted, 40% after status reporting during the project and the remaining 15% after the final reporting.

  If you do not request payment within one year after the grant notification has been sent, the grant is no longer valid and will be annulled.

• Audit

  Grants below EUR 30,000: No audit of the project’s expenses is required.

  Grants above EUR 30,000: The accounts should be audited and attested by a registered, qualified or authorised public accountant.

  A specific audit is not required for projects where the recipient of the grant is an institution which reports directly to the Nordic Council of Ministers.

  You can find detailed auditing guidance here.

  The recipient of the grant should not submit original receipts to Nordic Culture Point. The contract, accounts and receipts should be saved for the number of years required by authorities in the recipient’s home country. The receipts will also be required when Nordic Culture Point conducts random sampling.

• Impartial decisionmaking

  All applications are processed objectively and impartially. In the event of potential bias, the relevant experts do not participate in the processing of the applications where bias may occur. Any bias is noted in the application.

Reporting

The final report and accounts should be submitted at the latest three months after the project has been completed.

If the grant is above EUR 30,000, the project should also submit a status report midway through the project period. The status report should show which activities have been completed so far and a schedule of upcoming activities as well as a current financial account. When the project period has ended, the project should submit a final report as described below.

After the end of the project, you should submit a final report which shows how the project has developed from the application until now, and the effect and experiences of the activities. The report must illustrate how the project attained its objectives and how the results contribute to further strengthening the Nordic cultural cooperation.  The document may also describe the difficulties and setbacks which could not be avoided. The final accounts should also be submitted with the report. For grants above EUR 30,000, the accounts should be attested by a qualified/authorised public accountant. You can find detailed audit guidance here.

In some cases Nordic Culture Point is entitled to reduce the grant after the final reporting. For instance, this may happen if there are unused funds or if the project progresses in a completely different direction than the one the application was originally assessed for. If changes are made to the project without prior approval of Nordic Culture Point, you may be completely or partially liable to repay the funds you have been granted.

Preview of final reports

Communication

Please feel free to use #nordicculturepoint when you add posts about your project on social media. Nordic Culture Point would also like to receive information or an invitation for the project’s premiere or equivalent by e-mail.

We would like you to send pictures or similar from the project, both while it is ongoing and in connection with submission of the final report. The material which you submit may be used by Nordic Culture Point for communication and marketing purposes.

Send the material through the correspondence function in your user account or to program@nordiskkulturkontakt.org